“I… Your Grace.”

Rose, who was nestled in the Duke’s arms, cautiously spoke.

“Was that unicorn really a demon?”

“Yes. It’s a very dangerous creature. There are no black unicorns in this world. If you encounter it again, don’t look back and run.”

Rose seemed completely oblivious, but it was indeed a dangerous situation.

“They are higher demons that feed on human souls. They take on the form of a sacred unicorn to bewitch human hearts.”

As it was a demon that didn’t reveal its true form, it was the first time the Duke had actually seen one.

Despite the Duke’s words, Rose’s doubts grew.

‘It didn’t seem threatening at all…’

In Rose’s perception, the red-eyed unicorn seemed pure in itself.

While lost in these thoughts, they had already entered the mansion.

The employees in Artem Duke’s residence glanced at the Duke and Rose with curiosity.

A bare-chested Duke holding a Serbian Countess in his arms.

Rose felt extremely uneasy under the hot gazes from those around her.

On the contrary, the Duke seemed indifferent to their stares.

Even though they had just passed through a short corridor, dozens of eyes scanned Rose restlessly.

“Turn your head towards me.”

The Duke spoke to Rose, who seemed unsure about where to look, in a whisper. It seemed he noticed her discomfort with the gazes of the servants.

Although the Duke’s words were meant to consider Rose’s feelings, they only made her more flustered.

‘If I turn my head towards the Duke, where should I place my eyes?’

Lifting her face would be embarrassing, but lowering her head in the Duke’s embrace might make her heart burst.

After contemplating for a while, Rose buried her head in the Duke’s chest and closed her eyes.

The sound of footsteps and rough breathing accompanied by those sounds tickled Rose’s ear.

Unconsciously, she swallowed dry saliva and nibbled on her fingers.

How long had they walked? Rose, who was being embraced by the Duke, began slowly descending to the floor.

‘Have we arrived?’

Rose cautiously opened her eyes. The place they arrived at was the room the Duke had provided for her.

“I’ll have a maid prepare a bath for you. It’s better to soak in hot water and get some sleep.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Despite Rose’s response, the Duke didn’t leave the room but stood still, gazing at her awkwardly.

‘Why… isn’t he leaving?’

Rose faced the Duke with an awkward expression.

The Duke continued to stand there, looking down at her face as if he had something left to say.

“But… have you ever seen Luna’s tears for real?”

“What? No. Probably not…”

Rose was about to say she had never seen them, but she vaguely muddled her words and awkwardly smiled.

It was true that she had never seen Luna’s tears, but Rose, the protagonist of the novel, might have seen them.
“Really? Is that important right now?”

Rose nodded uncertainly in response to the Duke’s sudden remark.

Unsatisfied with Rose’s answer, the Duke touched his chin, wearing a mysterious expression.

The events of today weighed on the Duke’s mind.

When he told the black demon rushing towards the lake to ‘run away,’ he immediately turned and fled.

The same went for Finn.

It felt as if they couldn’t resist Rose’s words, as if they had no choice.

‘Demons and Finn… It seemed like they couldn’t resist Rose’s words.’

He was confident that there must be a connection between ‘Luna’s Tears’ and Rose.

Although known to the public as a rare necklace, it was, in fact, a more valuable accessory.

Luna’s Tears had the power to control demons.

‘Otherwise, it’s hard to explain.’

Thinking that Rose might also have secrets, the Duke took a step back.

“…First, you should take a bath.”

With those words, he left Rose’s room, calling a maid. Rose greeted the Duke with a bewildered expression.

…

The Duke’s departure left Rose alone, pondering the recent events.

“What on earth was that…?”

Rose also felt that something was strange.

Both the black unicorn and Finn.

All of them followed her words too well.

Especially Finn, who seemed to follow her words more than the Duke’s commands.

“Could it be… a hidden ability of the original novel’s female lead?”

Rose was confused by the setting that hadn’t been revealed in the early part of the book.

She slowly organized the recent events.

“So… if that black unicorn is a demon, as the Duke said…”

Could it be that I have the ability to seduce demons?

Rose recalled the black unicorn that had been very friendly to her.

That unicorn had been exceptionally kind to Rose. While the demons described in the novel were repulsive, the one Rose encountered was not at all like that.

“…It was cute.”

Muttering to herself, Rose simultaneously questioned.

“But… Finn is not a demon, so why did he listen to me?”

Rose turned her head to find the connection between demons and Finn.

The next day.

Rose looked quite cheerful from the morning.

She had finished preparing to leave, along with a letter to Jane.

Rose, who boarded the prepared black carriage in front of the mansion, had a very bright expression.